Bye Bye Brass

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Our home is only 4 years old so it stumps me that the builder used brass light fixtures on the outside.  The doorknobs and light fixtures in the house are either nickel, chrome, or white.  Since we moved in, I have hated the brass lights outside.  I think it ages the home a bit, despite the modern exterior.



Notice the metal pieces on the garage door are black.  Total clash with the brass right?  We had originally bought new black lanterns a few months back but returned them because I was determined we would save some money and paint the existing ones.  This project has been on my list for a while but I finally decided to tackle it. 

I unscrewed all the pieces from the lantern but left the wired base attached.  I wasn't in the mood to mess with electricity.  I wanted this to be a simple fix.  I made a template from poster board to keep from spray painting the brick.


The other pieces were laid out to have their turn at the spray paint.


I love how this turned out.  It now matches the garage door pieces.



I was thrilled at the new look and I still had spray paint left, so I kept going.  The front porch light is white and was a little grimy.   There were all kinds of little buggies in there.  They must be gone.




After taking it down and pulling it apart, it got a coat of black spray paint. 



So much better.  I should have done this earlier.

I'm also thinking the front door should get a new coat of paint.  Hmmmmm. 

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Comments

  1. PattiSeptember 9, 2011 at 1:27 PM

    Excellent fix. I advise my sellers to paint exterior lights all the time instead of replacing them. (I'm a Realtor and try to save my clients money.) The lights look great now and match your house much better than the old shiny brass.

    ReplyDelete
  2. LoraineSeptember 9, 2011 at 3:11 PM

    I love the black. They look 100% better. I like how you are able to only use one piece of poster board to keep from spray painting your brick. I would have black bricks if I was the one doing it. Spray paint and I just don't get along as well I I would like. Looks great!

    Loraine-Breakfast For Dinner

    ReplyDelete
  3. Carrie @ Dittle DattleSeptember 9, 2011 at 8:00 PM

    Your black lights look wonderful. I was just sitting out on the back deck the other night, looking at the icky gold lights hanging off the house and thinking I should paint them black! Thanks for inspiring :D

    ReplyDelete
  4. InMyOwnStyleSeptember 9, 2011 at 10:56 PM

    Andrea - love your thinking. I to would not want to mess with the electrical wiring. The poster board is a great idea. I am going to have to remember that. The light looks nice and new now.

    I am going to link the tip with the poster board up on my DIY Daily - tips page on my blog.

    My best- Diane

    ReplyDelete
  5. Carol-AnneSeptember 9, 2011 at 11:05 PM

    Soooo much better! Nice fix for an annoying problem. Yes, the door would look nice painted. Can't wait to see what you do with it!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Heather{Our Life In a Click}September 11, 2011 at 9:05 AM

    The "new" lights look fantastic!! Our house was built in the 80's and the previous owners must have loved brass because it was everywhere. We've been 'de-brassifying" ever since!!
    Thanks for stopping by my blog!!
    -heather

    ReplyDelete
  7. Jennifer @ Delightfully NotedSeptember 11, 2011 at 7:12 PM

    It's amazing what a can of spray paint can do! Your light fixtures came out terrific and the exterior of your house is just beautiful. I never understand alot of what builders do...haha I have a long list of light fixtures, hardware, and faucets that I want to change in my home!

    ReplyDelete
  8. UnknownSeptember 13, 2011 at 4:38 PM

    Great Job! I have been meaning to do the same thing to our brass light. You were just the motivation I needed! :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. SJ @ Homemaker On A DimeSeptember 16, 2011 at 12:26 AM

    Thanks for linking up this totally rocking post at the Creative Bloggers’ Party & Hop :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. AnnieSeptember 16, 2011 at 11:37 AM

    Could you please give more details on how you used the poster board? I need to use your idea to paint my ugly, cheap brass builder's choice outdoor fixtures!

    ReplyDelete
  11. LindsaySeptember 17, 2011 at 8:41 PM

    Great idea! I was just telling my husband that we need to spray paint our front door handles. Really fabulous job! Thank you very much for sharing this @ Show & Share!

    ReplyDelete
  12. UnknownSeptember 19, 2011 at 12:26 AM

    Ohhh...great idea! When we built our first home we chose tons of brass fixtures...ugh! We don't live in that house anymore but if we did this is what I would want to do!! Thanks for sharing this at What's In The Gunny Sack last week and I hope to see you again tomorrow!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Brave BrookeSeptember 19, 2011 at 11:46 PM

    That is awesome! I love how simple it is!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Charlotte in IDOctober 4, 2011 at 11:24 AM

    I have brass lights outside too and I have been wondering if this would work. Thanks for sharing,I think I am going to try it too.

    ReplyDelete
  15. AnonymousOctober 4, 2011 at 3:30 PM

    I have the same lights, def going to try this! Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  16. UnknownOctober 4, 2011 at 9:47 PM

    What a difference! I have the same issue. Ok, not the new house part, but the brass part :p Love the poster board fix. Gotta try this.

    Dropping by from TDC's Before & After.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Honey at 2805October 6, 2011 at 11:43 PM

    What a difference this makes, Andrea. You are so smart to tackle this job!

    ReplyDelete
  18. DebbiedoosOctober 11, 2011 at 7:43 PM

    Makes a world of difference Andrea. Thanks for sharing with the newbie party, and just how you did it too.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Be Colorful CoastalOctober 16, 2011 at 5:07 PM

    I agree, such an improvement and upscale update. I wish I could do this to all our door knobs but it is hard to spray paint indoors and too difficult to take the hardware apart. I will just sigh and wish I was you. :) Thanks for linking this up to Motivated Monday at BeColorful
    Pam

    ReplyDelete
  20. Patricia @ ButterYumApril 25, 2012 at 9:34 AM

    Much, much better!!

    ReplyDelete

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